Z chladných krajů - recyklační centrum na Aljašce

Recycling center opens at Landfill By NEIL ZAWICKI Alaska Star The new Eagle River drop-off recycling center opens at 2 p.m. today at the Anchorage Regional Landfill on West Hiland Road. The facility, born of a grassroots effort begun more than a year ago, will save local recyclers the trip to Dowling Road in Anchorage - the site of the nearest full service recycling drop-off. Mayor George Wuerch and Anchorage Assembly member Anna Fairclough will cut the ribbon during the grand opening ceremony. \"The landfill is a great location for this new recycling drop-off because it\'s central to everyone in east Anchorage, Eagle River and Peters Creek,\" said Mary Fisher, executive director of Alaskans for Litter Prevention and Recycling. The recycling facility will accept bottles, aluminum cans, flattened cardboard, newspaper and mixed paper. There is no charge for using the site. ALPAR was instrumental in making the recycling drop-off a reality. The organization mounted a grassroots project in February 2002 to introduce recycling to the Chugiak-Eagle River community through \"one stop\" recycling stations, pitched bi-monthly in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Six \"one stops\" were held. The program was a major success; volunteers collected 15 tons of material on the final day alone. ALPAR had worked with The Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce, and Citizens for Recycling Solutions in order to create a permanent site, said Mary Fisher, executive director of ALPAR. \"When (ALPAR) said they would like to see a site at the landfill, we wrote a grant to the city, which we were awarded.\" The Municipality of Anchorage Waste Reduction and Recycling Challenge Grant Program awarded ALPAR $66,500 in November. The Challenge Grant Program is designed to encourage businesses and community groups to recycle. \"After they awarded us the grant, we asked for the site to be at the landfill,\" Fisher said. \"We were very pleased and almost surprised that they agreed to put the site at the landfill.\" Fisher said that while community support for the landfill location was strong, city officials were less than enthusiastic - until recently. \"We approved the grant, and then started to talk about location,\" said Keith Howard, manager of engineering and planning with the municipality\'s Solid Waste Service. \"They lobbied for the landfill site, and we decided it was a good decision, but our concern was that the site would not interfere with the operation of the landfill.\" Zdroj: ALASKA STAR